US man pleads guilty to child sex tourism charges

Boston.– A Shrewsbury, Mass., man pleaded guilty April 4 in U.S. District Court in Worcester, Mass., to traveling to the Dominican Republic with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

According to politicalnews.me, the guilty plea is the result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Conrad Gallant, 61, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, the court must sentence Gallant to between 60 and 168 months in prison, 10 years of supervised release, restitution and forfeiture. Sentencing is scheduled for June 26, 2013.

According to the agreed upon statement of facts, Gallant traveled to the Dominican Republic in February 2011 and had sexual relations in his apartment with a 14-year-old girl he knew was underage.

Gallant returned to the Dominican Republic four times over the course of a year to engage in illicit sexual relations with the underage victim, giving her money, a laptop computer and jewelry during that time.

Additionally, on these trips, Gallant took photographs of the victim while she was nude and while engaging in sexual acts, and took those images back to the United States.